Players come and go at Wrigley Field, and a number of the fortunate ones get the send-off they deserve.
Such was the case Tuesday for Willson Contreras within the closing residence recreation for the Chicago Cubs catcher earlier than the Aug. 2 commerce deadline.
While the Cubs haven’t outright stated their hottest participant can be traded, everybody within the crowd of 30,978 appeared to know this may be the tip.
Contreras was handled to an extended standing ovation earlier than his first inning at-bat, stopped for a second to wave along with his helmet, then blooped a single to heart on the primary pitch. He acquired one other standing O earlier than his closing at-bat within the seventh, and pumped his fist earlier than placing out to finish the inning.
After the Cubs beat the Pirates 4-2 win for his or her sixth straight, Contreras was the final participant to depart the sphere, getting bear hugs from longtime teammates Kyle Hendricks, Jason Heyward and Ian Happ, whereas supervisor David Ross hugged and lifted him up off the bottom like a beer keg.
After one final look, and one closing salute from Cubs followers, Contreras was gone.
The present of affection, he stated, was “awesome” and one thing he would always remember.
“It makes me feel like if I have to walk away from this team, I’m going to walk away with my head up high,” he stated. “I know that I did everything I could to make this team better from Day One when I was called up in 2016.”
Not each departing Cubs star will get an opportunity to say goodbye the best way Contreras did on a beautiful afternoon on the nook of Clark and Addison streets.
Sure, Ernie Banks acquired a standing ovation earlier than a crowd of 18,505 at Wrigley earlier than his first inning at-bat — an infield hit — in what can be his closing recreation Sept. 26, 1971. But most depart with out the fanfare.
Sammy Sosa walked out on his group firstly of the ultimate recreation of 2004 and was dealt to the Baltimore Orioles through the offseason, by no means to return to the ballpark he as soon as owned. Because of the pandemic, Jon Lester’s final recreation in a Cubs uniform got here in entrance of an empty stadium through the 2020 postseason. Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant weren’t within the lineup for his or her closing recreation at Wrigley final July, with Rizzo asking for the day without work — a choice he doubtless regrets.
But Contreras’ possible exit has been talked about for months, and at this level it might be an entire shock if he remained a Cub previous Aug. 2. He hasn’t acquired a suggestion on an extension, however stated Tuesday if he received one within the subsequent week he’d positively “look at it.”
“The hope is there,” Contreras stated of staying a Cub. “But at the end of the day, they’re going to make a move, they’re going to do it. I don’t want to overthink (the possibility of) staying here, because I’m 70/30 right now.”
As he spoke about his future, somebody’s child started crying within the clubhouse, lightening the temper.
Contreras didn’t rule out returning subsequent yr if he’s dealt, although that additionally looks like an extended shot. Either means, he dealt with his lame duck standing nicely all season, although the feelings got here flooding out within the final 24 hours.
“I could tell (Monday) he was distracted in-game,” Ross stated earlier than Tuesday’s recreation. “There definitely are thoughts on his mind. It would be unnatural not to be for him. I don’t think any of us really knows what’s going to happen, what the future holds. … He’s an emotional guy. He wears it on his sleeve.”
Several different Cubs might also have performed their final recreation at Wrigley, a day wherein Keegan Thompson threw seven sturdy innings for the win. Ian Happ’s standing additionally can also be iffy, and the veteran outfielder was touched by a gesture from his left-field bleacher followers, who autographed a ball for him.
“They’re there every day no matter what, no matter the weather, from April till now, and they care so much,” Happ stated. “That was really meaningful.”
But even Happ knew today belonged to Contreras, who started his lengthy keep within the group in 2009. From homering on the primary pitch he noticed in 2016 to his frequent spats with the rival Milwaukee Brewers, Contreras’ Cubs profession had been something however uninteresting.
Many have forgotten he acquired sparse taking part in time in his first month with the Cubs, taking part in behind Miguel Montero and Ross, who was Jon Lester’s private catcher. The pondering when Contreras was known as up from Triple-A Iowa in June 2016 was that he’d get a quick look and return when rosters expanded in September.
“That was the floor,” then-team President Theo Epstein stated. “Bring him up as a 3rd catcher, get his toes moist and see the way it goes, realizing that we will simply ship him again down. But we all the time have been clear about leaving open the chance that he may take off and hit the bottom operating. And he definitely has, which is nice.
“But he has willed himself, no pun intended, into this position. He’s obviously playing himself into a position to take on real responsibility and help the team win. So he has earned a spot on the team.”
Though hyped because the catcher of the longer term, Contreras nonetheless needed to wait his flip. Former supervisor Joe Maddon wouldn’t separate Lester and Ross, and stated Contreras must be taught his craft taking part in part-time.
“He’s young, he’s learning,” Maddon stated that July. “You hold him contemporary mentally and bodily, and he’s going to appear like that each one yr. You don’t wish to put an excessive amount of on his plate proper now. I’ve been by that earlier than additionally, the place the brand new child on the block, everyone needs a brand new taste. And impulsively the flavour can lose a few of its edge if you happen to expose it too usually.
“So just let him play. Let him be Willson. Let him be 24 years old. He’s going to be here many years and he’s going to be really good.”
Maddon, who was so shut with Contreras some known as the catcher “Joe’s son,” helped construct the rookie’s confidence. After Contreras posted a 1.004 OPS in September, it was obvious he already was the perfect of the three catchers.
Ross’ recollections of Contreras’ rookie season have been of a child that did “a lot of smiling, fit in really easily, showing off the absolute cannon he had.” And, in fact, the house run on the primary pitch he noticed towards the Pirates.
“He’s got a knack for the moment,” Ross stated. “He wants that.”
Ross retired after the Cubs gained the 2016 World Series, Montero was launched through the summer season of ’17, and Contreras made the primary of his three All-Star appearances in 2018. While he all the time was well-liked, it wasn’t till Rizzo, Bryant and Javier Báez have been dealt that Contreras grew to become the most well-liked participant on the group.
It’s why the possible exit has been so obscure. Contreras love the Cubs. The Cubs love him. But it gained’t matter in the long run.
“I have a lot of things in my head right now about the fans,” he stated Tuesday. “But it’s nothing but love. … The love and support they showed me from Day One was priceless. I’m always going to keep them in my heart.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com